St. John's Greek Orthodox Church (Omaha, Nebraska)

St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church
Country	USA
Denomination	Greek Orthodox
Website	Church
Architecture
Architect(s)	John Latenser, Sr.
Style	Byzantine
Administration
Diocese	Metropolis of Denver
Clergy
Bishop(s)	Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver
Priest(s)	Rev. Fr. Peter J. Pappas

St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church is located at 602 Park Avenue in Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. The original congregation was formed in 1907 to meet the needs of Omaha's then-burgeoning Greek community. The current building is a city landmark that was originally constructed in 1908 for Omaha's Temple Israel, and was sold to the St. John's parish in 1951.^[1]

History

After large scale immigration to Omaha starting at the turn of the 20th century, in 1908 Omaha's Greeks built Saint John's Greek Orthodox Church at 16th and Martha Streets in South Omaha. The parish finalized the purchase of the former Temple Israel on December 16, 1951. The new church was occupied in 1953 and the original church was sold. The Right Reverend Bishop Ezekiel of the Chicago Diocese officiated the consecration of the new home of Saint John the Baptist parish on May 4, 1958.^[2]

The new building was designed by noted Omaha architect John Latenser, Sr. and built in 1908. Omaha's only Byzantine-style architecture Christian church in the city.^[3] When the parish celebrated its 100th anniversary in June 2008, Omaha-native film director and Oscar-winner Alexander Payne participated in festivities. "When you see the beauty of the church, you see why people would never want to leave it," Payne said of the church, where he served as an altar boy.^[4]

References

↑ "Temple Israel, Omaha", National Museum of American Jewish History. Retrieved 3/26/08.
↑ "History", St. John's Greek Orthodox Church. Retrieved 3/26/08.
↑ Burbach, C. "Greek church celebrates centennial", Omaha World-Herald. June 15, 2008. Retrieved 7/7/08.
↑ Burbach, C. "Alexander Payne to help church celebrate 100 years", Omaha World-Herald. April 22, 2008. Retrieved 7/7/08.

Coordinates: 41°15′14″N 95°57′22″W / 41.25389°N 95.95611°W / 41.25389; -95.95611

Ethnic groups in Omaha, Nebraska

Groups	African Americans American Indians Asians Canadians Czechs Danes Germans Greeks Irish Italians Jews Latinos Mexicans Poles Slovaks Sudanese Swedes Ukrainians

Ethnic enclaves	Greek Town Little Bohemia Little Italy Near North Side Sheelytown South 24th Street

Institutions	Czechoslovak Museum El Museo Latino Great Plains Black History Museum Little Ukrainian Catholic Church Lithuanian Bakery Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame Omaha Jewish Community Center St. John's Greek Orthodox Church

Events	Timeline of racial tension in Omaha, Nebraska Timeline of riots and civil unrest in Omaha, Nebraska Omaha race riot of 1919 Greek Town riot

Related	Racial tension in Omaha, Nebraska Civil Rights Movement in Omaha, Nebraska DePorres Club A Time for Burning History of slavery in Nebraska Public school controversy Meyer v. Nebraska Omaha Star Omaha Star building Rice/Poindexter case

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